Riding That Iron Horse
by Rhiannon A. Christy
Summary: Darcy and Bucky meet their fate upon the rails, riding and robbing their way. Tumblr prompt for Western AU, Wintershock, with Bucky as an outlaw and Darcy a saloon girl or both kick ass train robbers.


Darcy reached over, grasping Bucky's hand in her own. The feeling of his skin on hers helped to calm her racing heart, though it did nothing to banish the dread filling her up.

The job was supposed to be a simple one, nothing out of the ordinary. They had pulled off train robberies a hundred times before; it was old hat to them now. Bucky had promised that this would be their last job, after this they would have enough money to buy that ranch down in Mexico.

Darcy hadn't always been an outlaw; she had been born to Mr. Thomas J.M. Lewis the Third of Boston and his young wife Millie. Her father had been a banker, her mother the heiress to a great mining fortune. They had met through their parents, a marriage made more on paper than anything. Still, the two of them had managed to produce Eliza Millicent Darcy Lewis.

She had grown up in one of the largest houses in Boston, raised mainly by her nanny Miss Jane. She had the finest dresses, hats, and shoes that money could buy. Darcy had spent most of her youth after coming of age attending every dance, every tea, and every salon she had been invited to. Miss Darcy Lewis was the cream of the crop in Boston and every mother wanted her for their son. Though they had been out of luck as her father had already secured her a marriage to a man named Rumlow, the son of a potential business partner. This was where Darcy was sure her life as an outlaw began.

Rumlow was a cad. Not just a cad, but truly one of the most horrible men ever born. Oh, around her parents he was the perfect gentleman, but he made sure to inform Darcy every chance he got that she was his property. One of the problems was that he believed it. It had been at the Hill's annual Christmas dinner that everything came to a head.

Darcy had gone for a stroll in the rose garden for a little air. Everything was covered in snow, but after the stifling heat of the house she welcomed the cold. She had been hoping that no one had seen her exit, her father would have words with her about being rude if they had. Darcy would be forever grateful that no one in the party had seen her. No one except Rumlow. Her intended had followed her out into the night air, and proceeded to once again explain to her, her place. She had had enough, and in the end Rumlow laid dead with a broken neck. It had been an accident, but she couldn't say that she was sorry.

She had quietly returned inside and spent the rest of the night worried that someone would realize what she had done. Rumlow had been found before the night was over, but thankfully no one had thought to blame her. Over the next few days Darcy allowed everyone to think that she was grieving for the man, it was easier than telling them how scared she was that she would be found out. Every time someone rang the door her heart sped up.

That all had been five years ago, and she still wondered if anyone had ever figured it out. She had left not long after the funeral, stealing clothes from her father and stowing away on a train. That was where she had met Bucky, or at least what led her to meet him. She had spent a few weeks hitching rides on different trains, hiding out and stealing food where she could get it. One night the car she chose was far from empty.

Bucky had been curled up in one corner, his head leaning against the car wall. His eyes had opened the moment she had entered, moving up and down to take her in. She had hoped that he would think she was some bum of a boy, and for a while she thought he did. It was a few days later when he had returned from finding food that he had thrown a dress at her. When she looked at him, eyes blinking, he had just grumbled something about seeing it and thinking it would look nice on her.

She would admit that she worried he would take liberties after that, but he treated her like she was his sister. She figured the man felt the same way, at least at the time. From that point on the two traveled together. They became inseparable, neither of them could imagine moving on without the other. Darcy was the one to advance things between them. She had found that the man had stolen her heart.

It had been one of the rare times that they had stayed in town. Bucky had come across some money, not that he told her how, and had rented a room at the local inn. She had watched with tears in her eyes as he left, to see to his needs he had told her. She knew what that meant, it wasn't the first time he had visited one of those houses since they had met. But it was the first time since she had realized that she loved him. She had cried into her pillow, falling asleep with tears tracking down her cheeks.

He hadn't returned until in the early hours of the morning, smelling like soap and cheap perfume. He had slid in the bed beside her only to be met with her back. He had huffed at her, expecting her to curl up against his side like she normally did. It had taken him practically pleading until Darcy had turned over and smacked him across the face. She had expected him to hit back, to yell and pitch a fit. Instead he had dug his hands into her hair and kissed her. He had kissed her until she couldn't even remember her name. That had been the last night that he visited a brothel.

The life as a train robber had been Bucky's idea. It had come to him one night while they were on the rails. He told her about how so many of the trains they rode carried money and gold. Banks and big named business men thought the rails were a safe way to transport their loot, and he lamented that they couldn't get their hands on it.

They had plans, big plans to buy a ranch in Mexico and settle down. They would marry and have a couple of brats. The problem was that plans like that needed money and they didn't have a cent to their name. That was how Bucky came up with the idea. Those banks and rich men had more than they needed, it wouldn't hurt them if they took some of it. Not everything, but just a small bit here and there until they could save up enough for that ranch.

The robberies had started off small; they took just what they had planned. Only it soon became apparent that they would need to take more if they wanted that ranch before they were old and grey. They took more and more until the robberies became large enough plans had to be made. Soon enough they were boarding with masks on, blowing safes and stealing jewelry from ladies. They had made a name for themselves, and that meant that there were people after them.

The last job had been a big one. There was supposed to be enough gold and money on that train that they could easily retire. It had been Darcy's job to gather the money. When she had entered the car she had froze. She had recognized the name, emblazoned on the side of the safe in gold was the name Lewis. That moment had cost her as guards had rushed into the room with pistols raised. If she had known that the money had been her father's she would never have allowed them to go on. Her father had always been worried about robberies, and for this reason he always paid for his own team of guards to travel with his money.

It hadn't taken long before everyone knew that they were aboard. Her father's men hadn't thought twice about shooting, and a bullet caught her in the arm. Her scream must have alerted Bucky, as he came barreling into the car with his pistol raised. Guns on both sides sounded off, filling the car with heavy smoke. She had followed Bucky the best she could. They had ridden those rails for years, knew them like the back of their hands. The problem was her father's men were good.

The two of them stood side by side, hands clasped tightly. Before them stood six men, pistols pointed at their hearts. She could see it in their eyes, the need for blood. They were soldiers without a war, men picked for their ruthlessness. She wondered if her father would know, if someone would realize who she was and tell him that his men had killed his little girl. She wondered if he even cared. Perhaps they had mourned her long ago.

The squeeze of Bucky's hand brought her back to the situation at hand. They had finally come to the end of the line. They should have expected that it would end this way. Behind them the red landscape seemed to rush by, a blur of dirt and stone. She looked up at Bucky, hoped that he understood how much she loved him. He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. Keeping their eyes and hands locked, they allowed the desert to claim them.

* * *

Author's Note: Tumblr prompt for Western AU, Wintershock, with Bucky as an outlaw and Darcy a saloon girl or both kick ass train robbers.

So, turned out more Bonnie and Clyde meets Thelma and Louise than I had planned. But oh well, I've been wanting to write a train-hopping Darcy and this just allowed me to do so. Living in a train town there are still people who ride the rails, every year we have a few of the same ones that stop off here to get food and supplies. It is an interesting culture. We had this one guy who was sort of like a town hero sort of thing. He wrote poetry and rode the rails. When he died several years ago there was this whole thing in the papers about him and people mourned him.

You know, it wasn't until I was finishing this that I realized I had poor Bucky fall off a train again….I guess he should stay away from trains at all costs.

I'll also leave it up to the reader if you think they died or somehow survived.

 **Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**


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